Things to do around Boston this weekend and beyond

THE MAGNETIC FIELDS Twenty-five years ago, the Stephin Merritt-led pop collective released “69 Love Songs,” which poked and prodded at the form from all angles; the experiment resulted in some of Merritt’s best works, like the devastating “Papa Was a Rodeo,” the sardonically tender “The Book of Love,” and the upbeat yet murderous “Yeah! Oh, Yeah!” Over this two-night run, Merritt and his bandmates will play each of the 69 cuts from the three-CD opus. March 24-25, 8 p.m. Roadrunner. roadrunnerboston.com

UNWOUND In its heyday, this Pacific Northwest outfit specialized in sludgy yet explosive music that felt post-everything — hardcore, punk, art-rock, dream-pop. Their records — recently reissued by the archivists at Numero Group — still sound cavernous and tense, like they’re ready to swallow the Earth on a moment’s notice. March 25, 7 p.m. Paradise Rock Club. 617-562-8800, crossroadspresents.com

ARLO PARKS “My Soft Machine,” the latest full-length from this Londoner, combines sumptuous textures with piercing dispatches from her mind. March 28, 8 p.m. Royale. 617-338-7699, royaleboston.com

MAURA JOHNSTON

THE DEL MCCOURY BAND One of the titans of bluegrass returns to the area along with his band (which includes sons Ronnie and Rob, formidable ‘grassers in their own right). He’s now into his seventh decade of plying his traditional version of the music, in the course of which he’s collected nine International Bluegrass Music Association Entertainer of the Year awards. March 22, 8 p.m. $51. Groton Hill Music Center, 122 Old Ayer Road, Groton. 978-486-9524, www.grotonhill.org

EMILY SCOTT ROBINSON Possessed of a voice of crystalline beauty with which she delivers languid, reverberating folk-country, Emily Scott Robinson writes and sings songs about people she’s met in her world — and in Shakespeare’s, via her latest album, “Built on Bones,” a reconsideration of the witches in “Macbeth.” March 23, 7 p.m. $20-$25. Firehouse Center for the Arts, 1 Market Square, Newburyport. 978-462-7336, www.firehouse.org

EMMYLOU HARRIS Like McCoury, Emmylou Harris is an artist of towering achievement in the world of roots music. Since her days as the harmonizing partner of Gram Parsons in the early 1970s, she’s forged a career that has ranged from progressive honky tonk to acoustic country to the atmospherics of her “Wrecking Ball” album, collaborating with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, Bob Dylan, Rodney Crowell, Mark Knopfler, and others along the way. March 25, 8 p.m. $75-$125. The Wilbur, 246 Tremont St. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com

STUART MUNRO

TINSLEY ELLIS The acclaimed Atlanta-born bluesman celebrates his first-ever acoustic album, “Naked Truth,” with an intimate solo tour. March 22, 9 p.m. $30. The Porch Southern Fare & Juke Joint, 175 Rivers Edge Drive, Medford, theporchsouthern.com; March 28, 8 p.m. $38. Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, narrowscenter.org

THE AFTER TIMES Friends since childhood in Lexington, pianist Malcolm Campbell, bassist Josiah Reibstein, and drummer Joe Musacchia, all active participants in Boston’s jazz scene, weathered the early pandemic by playing standards together in each others’ yards, resulting in a lasting cooperative that explores compositions by each band member as well. March 24, 4 p.m. $15. The Mad Monkfish, 524 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. themadmonkfish.com

NIK BÄRTSCH’S RONIN Global Arts Live presents the quartet of the Swiss pianist-composer and ECM recording artist whose music amalgamates jazz, funk, classical minimalism, and electronica for a sound he’s dubbed “ritual groove music.” March, 25, 7:30 p.m. $25-$38. City Winery, 80 Beverly St. citywinery.com/boston

KEVIN LOWENTHAL

BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The BSO joins forces with several longtime collaborators and friends of the late jazz saxophonist and bandleader Wayne Shorter to honor the composer’s life with a portrait concert. The program includes “Forbidden, Plan-It!,” “Midnight in Carlotta’s Hair,” and “Gaia,” for jazz quartet and orchestra; special guests include conductor Clark Rundell, vocalist-bassist esperanza spalding, and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. Friday evening’s Casual Friday series concert omits one piece. March 21-23. Symphony Hall. 617-266-1200, www.bso.org

KAREN SLACK Soprano and Babson College artist-in-residence Karen Slack presents a free performance of her touring program “Of Thee I Sing! Songs of Love and Justice,” with pianist Kamilla Arku. The program includes material by Harry T. Burleigh, Ricky Ian Gordon, Undine Smith Moore, Jake Heggie, Scott Gendel, and more. March 22, 7 p.m. Carling-Sorenson Theater. Babson College, Wellesley. www.babson.edu/babsonarts

ISIDORE STRING QUARTET The winning ensemble of the prestigious 2022 Banff International String Quartet Competition makes its local debut with a program of music by Haydn, Beethoven, and American composer Billy Childs. The Cambridge performance is sold out, but tickets are still available for the group’s performance at the new Groton Hill Music Center. Presented by Celebrity Series of Boston. March 27, 7:30 p.m., Longy School of Music, Cambridge; March 28, 8 p.m., Groton Hill Music Center, Groton. 617-482-2595, www.celebrityseries.org

A.Z. MADONNA

MRS. KRISHNAN’S PARTY In this comedy by Jacob Rajan and Justin Lewis, the audience is invited onstage. Mrs. Krishnan (Kalyani Nagarajan) is awaiting the return home of her son from college. But, without her knowledge, her tenant, James (Justin Rogers) has invited some people over to celebrate the Hindu festival of Onam. And strangers — that is, us in the audience — keep showing up at Mrs. Krishnan’s corner shop. March 27-April 7. Production by Indian Ink Theatre Company. At Jackie Liebergott Black Box Theatre, Emerson Paramount Center. 617-824-8400, ArtsEmerson.org

THE MINUTES As a city council meeting unfolds in the fictional community of Big Cherry, with one member mysteriously absent and the minutes from the previous meeting strangely unavailable, playwright Tracy Letts takes us to a very dark place. He wants us to think hard about history: who gets to write it, who gets written out of it, and what lengths people in the first category will go to preserve their version of it. Letts reminds us that a nation’s blood-soaked origins are often prettied up in the retelling, or, in the words of Big Cherry’s mayor, played by a chillingly impassive Steven Barkhimer, “History is a verb.” Directed by Scott Edmiston. Through March 24. The Umbrella Stage Company. At the Umbrella Arts Center, Concord. 978-371-0820, theumbrellaarts.org/production/minutes

COST OF LIVING There’s a gasp-inducing scene that you won’t soon forget in Martyna Majok’s Pulitzer-winning play, but Majok mostly eschews pyrotechnics and focuses on the challenges — not just physical and logistical, but emotional and psychological — faced by people with disabilities and their caregivers. The top-notch cast includes Stephanie Gould, Sean Leviashvili, Gina Fonseca, and Lewis D. Wheeler, giving one of of the best performances of his career. Directed by Alex Lonati. Through March 30. SpeakEasy Stage Company. At Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, speakeasystage.com

DON AUCOIN

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE This new dance theater show with athletic, high-energy choreography by five-time Olivier Award nominee Kate Prince is inspired and fueled by iconic hits of the Grammy Award-winning artist Sting. Set to such classics as “Every Breath You Take” and “Roxanne,” the show’s uplifting story follows three siblings forced by unrest to flee their peaceful village. March 26-30. $49-$164. Emerson Colonial Theatre. www.emersoncolonialtheatre.com

AIKYA — THE UNION In Sanskrit, “aikya” means oneness. This production by Souls of India evokes the harmony of varying types of art forms from all over India. It includes an invocation of the gurus, traditional Indian classical dances with live music, two musicals by Rabindranath Tagore, and chanting of the Vedas. March 23. $20-$30. Dance Complex, Cambridge. www.dancecomplex.org

NEWPORT CONTEMPORARY BALLET In addition to the company’s diverse spring repertory program, “Shifting Light,” weekend performances include a Family Series world premiere production called “Are the Crayons Quitting?” Based on a charming and whimsical book by best-selling author Drew Daywalt, the colorful show tells the story of a young child whose temperamental crayons have walked out on him. March 22-24. $25-$48. Keats Theatre at St. Andrews School, Barrington, R.I. www.newportcontemporaryballet.org

PANTOS PROJECT DANCE The company opens its studio doors for choreographic showings of brand new works by members of its ensemble. Choreographers being showcased include Nikki Blades, Anna Burden, Mallory Ingram, Shirin Kuppusamy, Emma Limperis, Alie Myers, and Caitriona O’Doherty. March 23, 6 and 8 p.m. $21. Pantos Project Dance Studio, Waltham. https://pantosprojectdanceshop.square.site/

KAREN CAMPBELL

RAQIB SHAW: BALLADS OF EAST AND WEST One of the Gardner Museum’s rare “takeover” exhibitions, where the work of a single artist occupies all of its contemporary exhibition spaces (its main Hostetter gallery, its little Fenway gallery, and its facade installation), “Ballads of East and West” is an expansive showcase of Shaw’s extravagant painterly vision as a collision of his transcontinental life. Born and raised in the Indian city of Srinigar in the Himalayas and now living in London, Shaw looks back at the region of his youth as a former paradise fallen victim to political tumult and outside influence. Through May 12. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 25 Evans Way. 617-566-1401, www.gardnermuseum.org

LATOYA M. HOBBS: IT’S TIME “Carving Out Time” (2020-21) is Hobbs’s series of five lifesize woodcuts, in which she portrays a day in the life of her family in Baltimore, where she lives. An intimately diaristic view of her everyday with husband Ariston Jacks, also an artist, and their two children, “Carving Out Time” offers an unvarnished view of a woman artist’s many competing responsibilities as wife, mother, and caregiver, and of the deep history from which she comes. Look closely and you’ll see canonic artists like Alma Thomas, Elizabeth Catlett, and Kerry James Marshall embedded in her images, a lineage that gives her impetus to carry ever on. Through July 21. Harvard Art Museums. 32 Quincy St., Cambridge. 617-495-9400, www.harvardartmuseums.org

JOSEPH GRIGELY:IN WHAT WAY WHAM? (WHITE NOISE AND OTHER WORKS, 1996-2023) A fateful fall as a 10-year old left Grigely, who lives in Western Massachusetts, completely deaf. So began his life, as he describes it, of “watching the world with the sound turned off,” a transformative loss that he, as a formerly hearing person, felt acutely. Much of his work is about that experience of knowing sound but being cut off from it; his foundational work, “Conversations With the Hearing,” from the 1990s, is the bedrock of this affecting survey, which papers two broad elliptical spaces with thousands of handwritten conversations written between Grigely and friends, colleagues, and strangers who don’t know American Sign Language (ASL). A monument to the rift between Grigely’s past and current lives, the display radiates loss, but also the power and necessity of connection. It makes you acutely aware of the simplicity of communication that most of us take for granted. Through March. Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, 1040 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams. 413-662-2111, www.massmoca.org

MURRAY WHYTE

TRUE LOVE’S KISS: A QUEER FAIRYTALE IN PROVINCETOWN Artist Miguel Braceli celebrates the diverse expressions of love with a multi-pronged project: First, an opening reception on Friday at 5 p.m. spotlights his “Map of Love” mural and other works based on the town’s queer historical legacy. Braceli follows that with a performance on Saturday at 6 p.m. — a procession along the Provincetown Causeway in which participants (who must RSVP) give the artist a flower or a kiss. Through April 1. Hudson D. Walker Gallery, Fine Arts Work Center, 24 Pearl St., Provincetown. www.fawc.org/fellows-exhibition-miguel-braceli

CATE McQUAID

JORDAN JENSEN The New York comic says dating through apps is kind of a hassle. “I hate Hinge,” she says. “It’s where all the woke cowboys go. They all have, like, ‘Don’t Tread On Me’ snake tattoos, but then they’re like, ‘This is my cat, Malcolm X.’ It’s a nightmare.” March 22 at 7 p.m., March 23 at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. $33. Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St. 617-725-2844, laughboston.com

TOM COTTER “On our five-year wedding anniversary, my wife tried to surprise me with a car,” he says. “But she missed.” Lenny Clarke will be on the Friday show, with Chris Justice and Johnny Pizzi on all shows. March 22 at 8:30 p.m., March 23 at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. $30-$32. Giggles Comedy Club, 517 Broadway (Route 1), Saugus. 978-395-9060, princerestaurant.com/giggles-events

COMEDY ON ELM STREET A late evening show at a movie house with a strong lineup of local comedians, including Jack Lynch, Sean Sullivan, Stacy Kendro, and Nicole Veneto. March 23, 9:30 p.m. $18. Elm Draught House Cinema, 35 Elm St., Milbury. scampscomedy.com

NICK A. ZAINO III

HOP TO IT EASTER BRUNCH This Saturday, the Easter Bunny will make a special stop at Joe’s Waterfront for a brunch celebration. In between taking photos with the Easter Bunny, kids of all ages are welcome to craft with coloring and create bunny masks. In addition to its regular brunch menu, the restaurant is offering some Easter specials, including crispy goat cheese salad ($15), quiche Lorraine ($17), and a banana bread muffin ($9). Kids will burrow into chocolate chip waffles ($12) as well as Easter Bunny mac and cheese ($9). March 23, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Prices vary. Joe’s Waterfront, 100 Atlantic Ave. joeswaterfront.com

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION The Museum of Science is celebrating Women’s History Month this weekend by honoring women’s contributions to science, culture, and society. This event features Dope Labs, speakers, live presentations, hands-on activities, and more. March 24, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Museum of Science, Boston, 1 Science Park. mos.org

RINGLING BROS. AND BARNUM & BAILEY THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH This immersive, family-friendly experience will captivate fans with never-before-seen stunts, comedic performances, aerial and acrobatic tricks, dynamic musical performances, and more. A diverse cast of 75 performers from around the world will entertain children of all ages for hours. Weekend performances from March 28-April 7 at Agganis Arena at Boston University. Showtimes and ticket prices vary. Agganis Arena, 925 Commonwealth Ave. ringling.com

ADRI PRAY